Authorities seize rare fish cargo

Australian and South African forces have seized a fishing boat for poaching 100 tonnes of a fish so valuable it is known as "White Gold".

After a 10-day chase across thousands of miles of ocean the Togo-registered boat, South Tommy, was caught with its illegal cargo of rare Patagonian toothfish estimated to be worth about £500,000 if sold as a delicacy in Japan and the US.

Its 44 crew, believed to be Spanish, have been arrested.

Patagonian toothfish grow to be more than two metres long, live for nearly 50 years and breed extremely slowly.

Some have proteins that act as antifreeze to protect them in sub-zero waters.

Fishing the toothfish is restricted because it is close to extinction as a commercial fish and because of the impact on the environment.

The 150-foot South Tommy was first spotted by an Australian patrol boat nearly two weeks ago in Australian waters off Antarctica.

A 2,500-mile chase ensued with the patrol vessel at times within a few hundred yards of its quarry.

The Australians asked for South African help as the South Tommy approached the Cape of Good Hope.

Pretoria dispatched three vessels to join the pursuit.

The captain of the South Tommy allowed his vessel to be boarded on Thursday by 40 Australian troops on South African ships 250 miles off Cape Town.

Australia's fisheries minister, Wilson Tuckey, said his navy was determined not to allow the South Tommy to escape.

"Had we not intercepted it when we did, it would have gone on until the fish stopped biting, so it would have ended up with 200 or 300 tonnes, which would have been tragic," he said.

The captain faces a fine of up to £180,000 and the loss of the boat.

Environmentalists say plunder of the toothfish has had a devastating effect on Antarctica's fragile ecosystem.

The illegal trade in the fish is estimated to be worth about £70m a year.